Monday, 21 September 2009

Pruning off all the dead and faded flowers on our buddleja now that the the main flowering season is over.

This will be of benefit to the plant - not having to produce seeds on the old flowers - and help to encourage new blooms well into the autumn.
Any new blooms willl also be of benefit to late butterflies and bees.
The buddleja will be pruned back harder in early spring next year.

Plants were provided as part of our grant awarded by Cumbria County Council, Local Area Committee for Barrow.

Wildflower seeds were provided from our Our Green Space grant.

Our Green Space is a Cumbria-wide three-year partnership project running from Jan 2008 to Dec 2010. The project is supported by the Heritage Lottery Fund’s 'Your Heritage' grant scheme. Friends of the Lake District manage the project in partnership with Action with Communities in Cumbria, the project is supported by a wealth of organisations including Cumbria County Council, Cumbria Association of Local Councils, Cumbria Wildlife Trust and the Council for Voluntary Services.

Friday, 18 September 2009

Our Common Toadflax as found in our "natural wildlife area" along the boundary with the railway line.

Common toadflax is a spreading plant that forms patches of bright yellow spires throughout the summer in rough grassland, road verges, hedge banks and disturbed ground. It has narrow grey-green leaves arranged in whorls alternating up the stem. The stems terminate in dense clusters of yellow spurred flowers similar in appearance to snapdragons. Common toadflax grows well on loose, well-drained soil in sun or partial shade. It can be grown in a lawn, meadow or flower border. Care should be taken when planting into a cultivated border as it can become quite invasive. Just as common bird's foot trefoil is sometimes known as 'bacon and eggs', another name for this species is 'butter and eggs'.

Various plants, tool and supplies purchased in preparation for an activity with Central and Hindpool Neighbourhood Management Junior Wardens Team. The activity is part of their work to achieve a John Muir Discovery Level Award.

The supplies were provided from a grant we were awarded earlier in the year by Cumbria County Council, Local Area Commiitee for Barrow.

Thank you also, to Central and Hindpool Neighbourhood Management wardens who helped by providing a "walking bus" to and from Greengate Junior School.
Information about Central and Hindpool Management Management can be found here.

Saturday, 12 September 2009

Although these brightly-coloured insects look like bees or wasps, they are in fact true flies and do not sting.

Hoverflies are excellent examples of Batesian mimicry. They generally mimic bees and wasps – insects that sting and also taste unpleasant, so are avoided by predators. Drone-flies mimic honey bees, Volucella bombylans has several different forms mimicking bumblebees, while others species are very convincing wasp mimics.

There are about 250 different hoverfly species in Britain. You can generally see plenty of adults on flowers throughout spring, summer and autumn. Hoverfly larvae are varied too – some even resemble small slugs. They all have different feeding habits. For example they may eat plants, feed on rotting wood and fungi, attack bulbs or parasitise other insects.

A native annual or biennial weed that is locally abundant on sandy or loamy arable soils and waste places throughout England and Wales.

Scented mayweed prefers nitrogenous soils that are poor in lime and will tolerate saline conditions. It is considered to be an indicator of loam. It is a common weed of cereals and other arable crops where it benefits from the control of more competitive weeds.
Scented mayweed is highly attractive to ladybirds that feed on aphids. Its presence also increases the incidence of other beneficial insects. Scented mayweed was brought into cultivation as early as the Neolithic period. The species exhibits a high degree of variability and selected forms are grown commercially. Internationally it is cultivated as a medicinal and industrial crop. A deep blue oil is steam distilled from the flowerheads and used as a substitute for true chamomile. Extracts have been used in the pharmaceutical, food and cosmetic industries, and for the control of pests.

Thursday, 10 September 2009

The buddleja on the North plot is attracting various butterflies and bees, including a Comma.

Looking like a tatty Small Tortoiseshell, the Comma is a familar sight through most of England and Wales. This is one of the few species that is bucking the trend by expanding its range considerably. Once confined to the Welsh border counties, especially Gloucestershire, Herefordshire and Monmouthshire, this species is now found throughout England and Wales and has recently reached Scotland. The butterfly gets its name from the only white marking on its underside, resembling a comma.

When its wings are closed, this butterfly has a most remarkable camouflage that is perfect when it rests on a tree trunk or when it is hibernating. The colouring of the underside, in combination with the jagged outline of the wings, makes the butterfly look as inconspicuous as any withered leaves in the vicinity.

Staff from local engineering Company, Gilmour Fabrications Ltd taking final measurements in preparation for the manufacture and installation of the gates on arch D. The enhancements for the gates were designed earlier in the year by Furness College art and design student Heather Stephenson.

Tuesday, 8 September 2009

Nature was given a helping hand while mixing soil improver to some of the barren areas on the banking. Natural wildflowers that were growing in and around our stock of soil improver were transplanted into the banking with the aim of helping to create a diverse natural habitat.

To assist this process further we have also ordered natural wildflower seeds from Landlife Wildflowers who are part of the environmental charity Landlife.

Sunday, 6 September 2009

Teachers, staff and pupils from Greengate Junior School have offered fantastic support to the project for several years. Recently we received excellent quality feedback from pupils following a classroom visit to the Green Heart Den for an outdoor science lesson.

Thursday, 3 September 2009

Alan Postlethwaite, Hugh Massey, Graham Bromley and Graham Robinson pictured shortly after the project won two awards during the Cumbria Bloom Awards Ceremony which took place earlier today, at the Graythwaite Manor Hotel in Grange. The awards were:
A Neighbourhood Award - Certificate of Outstanding Achievement and,
The District Special Trophy (Barrow in Furness Trophy) - Award for Achievement in the Borough
Thank you to all who have been invoved with the project and contributed to its continued success, it is very much appreciated. We could not have achieved this without you all.

Thank you also to Cumbria in Bloom for providing what was a most enjoyable event.

About our blog page

Welcome to the Green Heart Den blog page. It was set up with the intention of hopefully providing a welcoming space where people can find out more about us and to follow our progress. Particularly those who are interested in our project but can not always visit the site. We hope it will also help to raise awareness of our activities to the wider community. Thank you for visiting.

Routine maintenance schedule

The link below details a list of garden maintenance tasks and is provided to act as a guide to assist those individuals, volunteers and organisations involved in maintaining the Green Heart Den garden and grow your own scheme.

Managing Risk

These risk assessments and those for our power tools are available onsite to those who need them. They can also be provided by request here.

We would always encourage others to conduct their own risk assessments

The Federation of City Farms and Community Gardens has produced an excellent guide to health and safety on the garden which aims to provide an overview of steps you can take to help ensure your project is as safe as possible. This can be downloaded here

We Love Barrow

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